After days of excessive criticism and misinformation over her gender, Olympic boxer Imane Khelif breaks her silence by calling for an end to “bullying athletes.”
During an interview with SNTV, a sports video partner of the Associated Press, the Algerian athlete opened up about being bullied and how she wishes for everyone to refrain from attacking athletes.
“I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter, to refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects,” Khelif stated. “It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit, and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”
Imane Khelif dominated headlines last week after the Olympic boxer’s eligibility to compete after she was disqualified from the 2023 boxing world championships due to failing a “gender eligibility test” with the International Boxing Association (IBA). However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that Imane fulfilled all the requirements to participate in the Olympics.
Khelif’s dominance in the ring was put on display when she took on Italian boxer Angela Carini. The Italian ended up bowing out of the match after 46 seconds. She failed to shake Khelif’s hand afterward. However, days later, Carini apologized for her behavior, stating she would shake Khelif’s hand if they met in person again.
“All this controversy certainly made me sad,” Carini told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “And I also felt sorry for my opponent, she had nothing to do with it and like me was only here to fight.”
Carini then said her lack of handshake wasn’t intentional. “It was not intentional, in fact, I apologize to her and to everyone. I was angry because my Games had already gone up in smoke.”
Olympic Boxer Imane Khelif Hopes Her Loved Ones Aren’t ‘Affected Deeply’ By the Heavy Criticism Against Her
Meanwhile, Imane Khelif spoke about how her loved ones are handling the controversy at home while she’s chasing her Olympic dreams.
“I am in contact with my family two days a week,” the boxer said. “I hope that they weren’t affected deeply. They are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal, and that would be the best response.”
Imane then shared her appreciation for the Olympic Committee for doing her “justice” amid the growing outrage over misinformation about her. She also said she doesn’t follow much of what’s being said online. “Honestly, I don’t follow social media. There is a mental health team that doesn’t let us follow social media, especially in the Olympic Games, whether for me or other athletes. I’m here to compete and get a good result.”
Despite all the noise outside the boxing ring, Imane Khelif beat Hungarian Luca Anna Hamori. She is now guaranteed a welterweight medal at the Paris Olympics. She told BBC, “It’s the first medal in women’s boxing in Algeria – I’m very happy. I want to thank all the world and the Arabic world – thank you so much.”